PHOENIX — Sen. John McCain routed former Rep. J.D. Hayworth in the Arizona Republican primary Tuesday night after a contentious campaign marked by stinging attacks and McCain’s attempts to burnish his own conservative credentials.

The four-term Senate incumbent appeared headed toward a nearly 2-to-1 victory over Hayworth, a former congressman and radio talk show host who attempted to cast himself as the "consistent conservative.” McCain, who led in every county in the state, held a 57 percent to 32 percent advantage with 82 percent of precincts reporting. Little-known conservative Jim Deakin, who was criticized by McCain opponents as a spoiler who would split the vote against the senator, pulled in 12 percent of the vote.

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POLITICO 44

Despite a spirited bid by Hayworth, who cultivated support from — and staffed his campaign with — tea party activists, McCain's $21 million blitzkrieg ultimately rendered him an unacceptable alternative, despite widespread antipathy toward McCain among many grass-roots conservatives.

McCain, the 2008 GOP presidential nominee, declared victory and took the stage before a half-filled room at the Phoenix Convention Center less than two hours after the polls closed. Hayworth had not yet called to concede the race, even after most McCain supporters had left the downtown Phoenix victory party, a McCain aide told POLITICO.

In his speech, McCain graciously tipped his cap to his opponents, Hayworth and Deakin, for "having the courage to enter the arena." But most of the forward-looking address focused on what he hoped to accomplish in the Senate if Republicans gained control of Congress.

“I'm convinced that Republicans will win in November and we will regain the majorities in both the Senate and the House," he said. “And when we do, we will stop the out of control spending and tax increases and repeal and replace Obamacare. We will keep families in their homes, we will create new jobs and we will allow our businesses to grow without Washington interference. We will secure our borders, defend our nation and bring our troops home from Afghanistan with honor and victory."

In his concession speech in Scottsdale, Hayworth made reference to the towering amount of money McCain devoted to winning renomination to a fifth term.

"I just got off the phone with my dad, and he offered his congratulations. ... He said, 'you're a one-man economic stimulus package for Arizona. Even when you finish second, you can prompt all sorts of economic activity in your home state,'" Hayworth said to laughs.

Hayworth actually won, McCain is just the shell that is being presented to the public full of right wing zeal and Tea Bagging goodness.

The DNC responded appropriately:

"“Today, the Republican party of Arizona nominated for Senate JD Hayworth in the shell of a politician that was once John McCain,” said DNC National Press Secretary Hari Sevugan. “The complete takeover of the Republican party by the Tea Party has included taking over the soul of a Senator who was once the face of comprehensive immigration reform and who now would just build the ‘danged fence;’ a man who once reveled in being a maverick and who now is a rubber stamp for the extreme rightwing; a man whose name was synonymous with campaign finance reform and who now barely registers a notice when the law that bears his name was gutted by the Supreme Court to favor corporate America. So, we congratulate JD Hayworth on his nomination tonight.”

That pretty much sums it up. Don't be disappointed, baggers, your guy still won!

Hayworth made reference to the towering amount of money McCain devoted to winning renomination to a fifth term.

This country is being RULED by wealth as more than 40% of Congress are millionaires.

If insanity is repeating the same thing and expecting a different result, what do WE call re-electing the politicians that caused all the problems in the first place with an expectation that they will fix them?

Don't Re-Elect ANY Incumbent Politician

"The care of human life and happiness and not their destruction is the first and only legitimate object of good government." --Thomas Jefferson

Hayworth is right about at least one thing: McCain is a "shape-shifter." If re-elected to the senate (and probably because of his age, 74, his last term) we should expect to see McCain metamorphize yet again in order to try to polish his hopelessly tarnished political legacy. He'll still rant and rail against earmarks and be a fiscal conservative (a good thing), and he might also work with Democrats on important issues (another good thing) to do some actual good for our country before "hanging it up" in retirement or death. Is an Independent candidacy a possibility in Arizona? Will Arizona send a Democrat to the senate? We'll see....

What are you dumb Arizona &^%$#@*& thinking? You should be ashamed of yourselves for relecting that RINO. May your state receive all the illegal trespassers, crime, disaster and punishment you so richly deserve. G-d help the rest of us!

I guess all that sloganeering about how the teabaggers were going to turn out that RHINO in Arizona and replace him with a "true conservative" was just so much right wing hot air.

Ouch!

The teabaggers just took one on the chin.

If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were using the word "teabagger" in it's more pegorative meaning to disparage your fellow Americans. You realize that's the moral equivilent of using the N word, don't you?

Yeah! John McCain is a great American who would have made a fine President (much better than the current guy). He defeated that Abramoff-lackey. His return to the US Senate will be a great thing for the United States of America!

I supported the folks in Arizona, but I see that they really want the Maggot Invasion. Mcshame is nothing but a RINO and a Maggot Lover who is in bed with Lindsey "I Love this Maggot Invasion" Graham! Vote for no G/D Incumbents.

Tea Baggers want to claim victimhood and want to equate criticism of their wacky political posturing with racism? You want to equate the term "Tea Bagger" and the "N" word?

Give me a break. You are an overpriveledged fool and there is no comparison. You can go out and act wingnutty, and we can call you a rube. That is how freedom of expression works. Stop trying to play the victim card, only LOSERS play the victim card!

John McCain was the right choice. The voters got it right. The comments here so far are just off base. McCain is no RINO and did not dramatically move to the right in 2010 to win the GOP primary.

McCain, throughout his career, has been a pro-life fiscal conservative who has gotten into heated argument over his opposition to earmarked and out of control federal spending; McCain, quite consistently, voted AGAINST Obama's multi-trillion dollar deficit spending. McCain had the most free market approach to health care in 2008 of all the candidates and had always been adamantly opposed to national health care; quite consistently, McCain voted AGAINST ObamaCare. McCain voted AGAINST every Obama bailout bill and even voted against the second release of TARP monies when Bush was still President in late 2008. McCain's historical commitment to the appointment of strict constructionist judges caused him to vote AGAINST the confirmation of Sotomayer and Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court. McCain also, in 2009, voted AGAINST the confirmation of radical pro-abortionist Sibellius and tax cheat Geithner to their respective positions in the Obama Administration.

Few people have the experience and knowledge concerning foreign policy, military matters and national security that John McCain has. He was right about the Iraq War when even many Republicans went wobbly and fought off Democrat led efforts to cut off funding our troops in the field in Iraq. McCain was right to attack Obama for dithering about committing the proper resources for our efforts in Afghanistan and for not supporting the Iranian dissidents. McCain could be right because he knows his stuff when it comes to Commander in Chief decisions. In the years ahead, we are going to be facing tough foreign policy problems; the Republicans needs McCain's voice on those matters.

On immigration, John McCain deserves more credit than he is often given. In 2007, he did sponsor what Newt Gingrich has called a serious effort at comprehensive immigration reform that had tough law enforcement provisions in it, which McCain would point out when responding to claims that the proposed law’s effect would be amnesty. The reaction of a good portion of the American people, however, was that law enforcement must come first, as the last effort at comprehensive reform -- which was during the Reagan Administration -- did not work well stemming from the lack of law enforcement. McCain accepted that judgment, and in 2008, law enforcement first was the position of the GOP. In 2009, McCain called for the deployment of troops along the southern border because of the drug cartels taking over northern Mexico and the resulting violence spilling over the border in the United States -- a situation that has worsened in 2010. The fact that Phoenix became the kidnaping capital in the United States and the murder of the Arizona rancher made border security an imperative; that imperative is even greater given intelligence that the drug cartels are linking up with radical Islamists. McCain, a military man who knows national security, is responding as a someone who does see what is a very serious national security issue.

"Conservatives" have yet to convince me how it is possible for the man nominated to lead the Republican Party could be a R.I.N.O.

If getting the nomination to be President under the GOP banner is not enough to make you a Republican, you have a serious problem figuring out what qualifies someone to be a Republican, no? Is the GOP so corrupt that it nominates as its leader a non Republican?

Is it not enough that McCain is a card carrying Republican, and has been his entire political career?

Or is it simply that only a Tea Bagger can determine who is, and who is not, a Republican? If so you have a serious problem because you have been telling us all along that the Tea Party and the GOP are not one and the same.

John McCain was the right choice. The voters got it right. The comments here so far are just off base. McCain is no RINO and did not dramatically move to the right in 2010 to win the GOP primary.

McCain, throughout his career, has been a pro-life fiscal conservative who has gotten into heated argument over his opposition to earmarked and out of control federal spending; McCain, quite consistently, voted AGAINST Obama's multi-trillion dollar deficit spending. McCain had the most free market approach to health care in 2008 of all the candidates and had always been adamantly opposed to national health care; quite consistently, McCain voted AGAINST ObamaCare. McCain voted AGAINST every Obama bailout bill and even voted against the second release of TARP monies when Bush was still President in late 2008. McCain's historical commitment to the appointment of strict constructionist judges caused him to vote AGAINST the confirmation of Sotomayer and Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court. McCain also, in 2009, voted AGAINST the confirmation of radical pro-abortionist Sibellius and tax cheat Geithner to their respective positions in the Obama Administration.

Few people have the experience and knowledge concerning foreign policy, military matters and national security that John McCain has. He was right about the Iraq War when even many Republicans went wobbly and fought off Democrat led efforts to cut off funding our troops in the field in Iraq. McCain was right to attack Obama for dithering about committing the proper resources for our efforts in Afghanistan and for not supporting the Iranian dissidents. McCain could be right because he knows his stuff when it comes to Commander in Chief decisions. In the years ahead, we are going to be facing tough foreign policy problems; the Republicans needs McCain's voice on those matters.

On immigration, John McCain deserves more credit than he is often given. In 2007, he did sponsor what Newt Gingrich has called a serious effort at comprehensive immigration reform that had tough law enforcement provisions in it, which McCain would point out when responding to claims that the proposed law’s effect would be amnesty. The reaction of a good portion of the American people, however, was that law enforcement must come first, as the last effort at comprehensive reform -- which was during the Reagan Administration -- did not work well stemming from the lack of law enforcement. McCain accepted that judgment, and in 2008, law enforcement first was the position of the GOP. In 2009, McCain called for the deployment of troops along the southern border because of the drug cartels taking over northern Mexico and the resulting violence spilling over the border in the United States -- a situation that has worsened in 2010. The fact that Phoenix became the kidnaping capital in the United States and the murder of the Arizona rancher made border security an imperative; that imperative is even greater given intelligence that the drug cartels are linking up with radical Islamists. McCain, a military man who knows national security, is responding as a someone who does see what is a very serious national security issue.

John McCain was the right choice. The voters got it right. The comments here so far are just off base. McCain is no RINO and did not dramatically move to the right in 2010 to win the GOP primary.

McCain, throughout his career, has been a pro-life fiscal conservative who has gotten into heated argument over his opposition to earmarked and out of control federal spending; McCain, quite consistently, voted AGAINST Obama's multi-trillion dollar deficit spending. McCain had the most free market approach to health care in 2008 of all the candidates and had always been adamantly opposed to national health care; quite consistently, McCain voted AGAINST ObamaCare. McCain voted AGAINST every Obama bailout bill and even voted against the second release of TARP monies when Bush was still President in late 2008. McCain's historical commitment to the appointment of strict constructionist judges caused him to vote AGAINST the confirmation of Sotomayer and Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court. McCain also, in 2009, voted AGAINST the confirmation of radical pro-abortionist Sibellius and tax cheat Geithner to their respective positions in the Obama Administration.

Few people have the experience and knowledge concerning foreign policy, military matters and national security that John McCain has. He was right about the Iraq War when even many Republicans went wobbly and fought off Democrat led efforts to cut off funding our troops in the field in Iraq. McCain was right to attack Obama for dithering about committing the proper resources for our efforts in Afghanistan and for not supporting the Iranian dissidents. McCain could be right because he knows his stuff when it comes to Commander in Chief decisions. In the years ahead, we are going to be facing tough foreign policy problems; the Republicans needs McCain's voice on those matters.

On immigration, John McCain deserves more credit than he is often given. In 2007, he did sponsor what Newt Gingrich has called a serious effort at comprehensive immigration reform that had tough law enforcement provisions in it, which McCain would point out when responding to claims that the proposed law’s effect would be amnesty. The reaction of a good portion of the American people, however, was that law enforcement must come first, as the last effort at comprehensive reform -- which was during the Reagan Administration -- did not work well stemming from the lack of law enforcement. McCain accepted that judgment, and in 2008, law enforcement first was the position of the GOP. In 2009, McCain called for the deployment of troops along the southern border because of the drug cartels taking over northern Mexico and the resulting violence spilling over the border in the United States -- a situation that has worsened in 2010. The fact that Phoenix became the kidnaping capital in the United States and the murder of the Arizona rancher made border security an imperative; that imperative is even greater given intelligence that the drug cartels are linking up with radical Islamists. McCain, a military man who knows national security, is responding as a someone who does see what is a very serious national security issue.